This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
With the recent steroid suspensions in Major League Baseball, I write to explain why such players should still be allowed into the Baseball Hall of Fame ("Report: A-Rod failed MLB stimulant test in 2006," Tribune, Nov. 5).
After the 1994 strike, average attendance dropped 20 percent. It wasn't until 1998 that attendance increased again, due to the increased number of home runs. Players were suspected of using steroids then, but the MLB didn't care. Profits were up. Now, 15 years later, they deny these players a spot in the Hall of Fame.
There are already "cheaters" in the Hall of Fame. Pitchers, who admitted throwing illegal pitches, like the spitball, were still inducted. We can't pick and choose which "cheaters" are allowed. It should be all or none.
The steroid policy wasn't created until 2002. If there was no steroid policy until 2002, why are players being punished for using steroids before they were illegal?
How can we just simply say "they are cheaters" and should not be allowed in the Hall of Fame? We need more than that simple cop-out to keep some of the game's greatest players from receiving the honor they deserve.
Nathan Porter
St. George